Multiple switch device



April 28, 1959 .1. EVANGELISTA 2,884,

MULTIPLE SWITCH DEVICE Filed March 6. 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 fli .1 15

INVENTOR.

\fose vh Eva/ yells fa ,M w? L bddy, Daniels AZ llam/b ATTORNEYS April 28, 1959 J. EVANGELlSTA 2,334,494

MULTIPLE swrrcn DEVICE Filed March 5, 195B 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WWW/WWW 64 5o V/l/lI Z/I/j, 52

INVENT OR.

Joseph Evaryelos ta BY Mun rzjdag, Daniels & Marcia ATTORNEYS United States Patent '2,ss4,494 MULTIPLE swrrcn DEVICE Ioseph Evangellsta, Brooklyn, N.Y. Appllcafion March 6, 1958, Serial No. 719,624 Claims. (Cl. 200-46) This invention relates to multiple switch devices wherein a plurality of circuits are selectively closed or opened according to predetermined plans or patterns, and more particularly to switch devices of this type which utilize a conducting fluid such as mercury.

The present invention constitutes a species of my generic invention described and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 469,180, filed November 16, 1954, now Patent No. 2,828,376, granted Mar. 25, 1958, and entitled Multiple-Switch Device.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved multiple switch device employing a conducting fluid as in my copending application referred to, wherein there are simplified means for causing the conducting fluid to rise in the contact-containing channels of a channel block, to effect a desired circuit arrangement.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved multiple switch device as above set forth, wherein simplified and effective means are provided for maintaining the conducting fluid in operative position in the contact-containing channels, thereby to maintain a circuit pattern which has been established previously.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved multiple-circuit switch device as above characterized, wherein various large or small groups of contacts and circuits may be independent of each other in said device, thereby extending the range of usefulness of the device and enabling a plurality of single or multiple circuits to be controlled.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved multiple switch device in accordance with the foregoing, wherein leakage of the conducting fluid or mercury is positively prevented at all times.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved multiple switch device utilizing a conducting fluid such as mercury in conjunction with punched cards or the equivalent to effect the desired circuit pattern, wherein relatively small cards may be employed while still controlling a large number of different circuits which are either interconnected or else arranged in a plurality of independent groups.

A feature of the invention resides in the provision of an improved multiple switch device of the above type and having all of the advantages thereof as stated, which device is nevertheless extremely simple in its construction and economical to fabricate.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings accompanying this specification, similar characters of reference have been used wherever possible throughout the several views to designate like components.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through an improved multiple switch device as provided by the invention, showing the components in the positions which they occupy when all of the circuits of the switch device are open.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l.

Patented Apr. 28, 1959 Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a multiple switch device illustratin another embodiment of the invention, wherein a large number of sets of circuits are independent of each other.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the present improved multiple switch device comprises essentially a stationary base member 10, a movable channel block 11 disposed above the base member 10, and a movable pressure block 12 disposed above the channel block 11 and adapted to engage the latter and also shift the same downward a predetermined, relatively small distance.

Above the pressure block 12 there may be provided any suitable type of operating means, for imparting downward motion to such pressure block. As shown, I provide a horizontal shaft 14 having thereon a cam means 15 actuated by a handle 16. The cam means 15 has a flat portion 18 which, when it is opposite the pressure block 12, permits the latter to occupy a fully raised position. As will be readily understood, shifting the handle 16 to one side or the other will rotate the cam means 15 and cause the high portions of the cam means to engage the pressure block 12 and force the same downward. It will be further understood that the pressure block 12 may be movably mounted in vertical slides (not shown) by which it may have vertical movement but no lateral or horizontal movement.

In accordance with the present invention, the base member or block 10 carries a shallow tray 20 which is preferably made up of a resilient and flexible material such as rubber or rubber-like substance. As shown, the tray 20 is disposed to rest on the upper surface of the base block 10, and is provided with end walls 22, a central transverse wall 23, and front and rear walls 24. By such construction, the shallow tray 20 may carry a small amount of conductive liquid such as mercury without danger of leakage, provided that the tray is maintained horizontal.

The channel block 11 may be constituted of any suitable substance, being preferably of insulating material such as plastic or plastic-like substance. The channel block 11 has end walls 26, a transverse central wall 27, and front and rear walls 28. Also, the channel block 11 has a plurality of vertical channels 30 which pass entirely through the block, from the bottom surface to the top surface thereof, as shown.

Any suitable means may be provided for supporting the channel block 11 on the base block 10 so as to have relative vertical movement with respect to the base block. As shown herein, I provide a plurality of headed screws 32 which pass upward through the base block 10 and upward through the walls 22 and 23 of the shallow tray 20, said screws being threaded into the walls 26 and 27 of the channel block 11 so as to constitute guides for said block. By this construction, the channel block 11 may have limited vertical movement with respect to the base block 10.

It will be noted that those portions of the channel block 11 which contain the channels 30 extend downward into the shallow tray 20, and are adapted to be immersed in the mercury which is contained in the tray.

In accordance with the present invention, this arrangement is utilized in conjunction with a slight raising and lowering movement of the channel block 11 to effect a rise or fall of the mercury in the channels 30. In such channels I provide pairs of electrical contacts 34 which are adapted to be engaged by the mercury when it has risen in the channel 30 in response to lowering movement of the channel block 11. When this engagement occurs, a circuit will be established between the contacts of the pairs in the channels, and depending on which channels contain the mercury in raised position, a pattern of circuits will be established as in my copending application above referred to.

It will be understood that the resilient character of the shallow tray 20 will permit a compression of the walls 22, 23 and 24 thereof as the blocks 11 and 12 are moved downward, the latter block responding to operation of the handle 16 and cam device 15. Only a slight movement of the channel block 11 is needed to cause an appreciable rise of mercury in the channels 30, and the extent of rise depends 011 the area of the bottom of the channel block 11 and also the extent of travel of the channel block in a downward direction into the shallow tray 20.

For the purpose of selectively closing off the upper portions of the channels 30, thereby to determine which channels will have the mercury in raised position and which channels will not have the raised mercury (thereby in turn determining the bridging of the sets of contacts 34), I provide punched cards which may be disposed between the upper face of the channel block 11 and the lower surface of the pressure block 12. As seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the pressure block 12 also has channels 36 which are aligned with the channels 30 of the channel block 11, and which channels 36 may be vented to the atmosphere or to any other suitable space.

On the facing surfaces of the pressure block 12 and channel block 11 I provide resilient facings 38 and 39 which may be of rubber or rubber-like composition. Such facings also have perforations matching the channels 30 and 36 whereby communication may be established between the channels when the pressure block 12 is brought downward and into engagement with the channel block 11. When a punched card is interposed between the pressure block 12 and the channel block 11 so that the punchings thereof are in registration with certain of the channels 30, 36 those registered channels which communicate with each other through the perforations will be vented, and will permit mercury to rise in the lower portions of the channels 30 as the blocks 12 and 11 are forced downward to immerse the block 11 further in the pool of mercury carried by the shallow tray 20. Those of the channels 30 which are not in communication with the channels 36 and which therefore are not vented will be sealed by virtue of the solid portions of the perforated cards, and the trapped air in these channels 30 will prevent the mercury in the tray 20 from rising in such channels and from bridging the contacts 34 thereof.

Accordingly, depending on the pattern of the perforations of the cards which are interposed between the pressure block 12 and the channel block 11 there is established a pattern of circuits. as effected by the bridged contacts 34 engaged by the raised mercury in the channels 30.

It will be understood that the operation of the improved switch device of this invention involves merely placing a punched card between the pressure block 12 and channel block 11, in a proper position to register the openings of the card with certain of the channels of the blocks. Thereafter, the handle 16 is actuated to one side, operating the cam means 15 and forcing downward the pressure block 12 into engagement with the interposed card and the channel block 11. Further downward movement of the pressure block 12 will cause the channel block 11 to shift downward, compressing the walls 22, 23 and 24 of the tray and immersing the lower portion of the pressure block 11 further into the mercury. This will cause the mercury to rise in those of the channels 13 which are not sealed, and such rising mercury will bridge the contacts 34 in the channels, establishing a multiplicity of circuits in accordance with a pattern as determined by the pattern card placed in the switch device.

In accordance with the present invention, certain of the sets of circuits may be made separate from other sets, thereby to establish an independence between the circuits, where this should be desired. Referring to Fig. 2, the shallow tray 20 may have a plurality of partitions 42 adapted to engage portions of the pressure block 11 which are disposed between sets of the channels 30. Thus, the channels in the pressure block 11 may be divided into sets of tens, extending between the end walls 26 of the pressure block and center wall 27 thereof. By such arrangement, as seen in Fig. 2, the mercury in the shallow tray 20 is divided into twenty separate pools, ten on one side of the center wall 23 of the tray and ten on the other side of the center wall 23. Thus, twenty different independent sets of circuits may be controlled by the multiple switch device of my invention as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, each set comprising ten pairs of contacts. It will be understood, of course, that this is for illustrative purposes only, and that either a greater or a lesser number of sets of circuits may be controlled, as required by the particular conditions for which the switch is to be used.

Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. In this embodiment the tray which contains the mercury is made much deeper, with accompanying benefit in preventing loss of mercury since dependence is not placed upon the maintaining of tight seals. Also, a much greater number of independent circuits is provided for, and the desired patterns which are established may be effected by the use of punched cards of much smaller size.

As shown, I provide a lower or base member 45 which has appreciable depth or height, and which has a large number of deep recesses forming in effect a honeycomb, the bottom of the base member 45 being completely solid and devoid of seals or joints.

In conjunction with the base member 45 I provide a channel member 47 having an upper portion 48 which is in the form of a truncated pyramid whereby its upper surface is of much smaller area than the base portion. The channel block 47 has a plurality of depending portions 50 each of which is provided with a pair of channels 52 containing pairs of electrical contacts 54. The portions 50 of the channel member 47 are intended to be disposed in the recesses in the base member 45, and in the bottoms of such recesses I provide resilient pads or facings 55, as shown. I further provide sealing strips 57 of resilient rubber or rubber-like material, disposed along the top faces of the base or tray member 45, said sealing strips engaging the channel block 47 in deep grooves formed therein and providing a support for said channel block on the base 45. Such support by the rubber strips 57 is compressible or yieldable, however, to enable a limited downward movement of the channel block 47 to be had, as described previously in connection with the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2.

Above the channel block 47 I provide a pressure block 60 having channels 62 adapted to communicate with convergent channels 63 in the upper portion 48 of the channel block 47, such convergent channels 63 in turn communicating with the parallel channels 52 in the lower portions of the channel block. The sets of contacts 54 in the lower portions of the channels 52 are, of course, adapted to be bridged by the mercury contained in the lower tray member 45 when such mercury is caused to rise in response to downward movement of the channel block 47 with respect to the base block 45. As already mentioned, such downward movement is permitted by virtue of the compressible or resilient nature of the strips 57 which support the channel block 47 on the base 45.

The opposite faces of the channel block 47 and the pressure block 60 are provided with resilient facings 64 and 65 which are adapted to engage the upper and lower faces respectively of the punched card which is placed between the pressure block 60 and the channel block 47. The operation of the embodiment of the invention of Figs. 3 and 4 is generally similar to that already described above in connection with Figs. 1 and 2. It will be observed, however, that in the form of the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the multiple circuits are divided into pairs which are independent of each other. This may be readily observed from an inspection of Fig. 3, wherein the channels 52 are shown as being paired, each pair being disposed in a separate one of the recesses in the base or tray member 45.

Upon the channel block 47 being forced downward to cause a rise of the mercury in the channels thereof, the bottom edges of the channel block will engage the resilient pads 55 placed in the recesses of the base or tray member 45, and in so doing there will be prevented any further passage of mercury into or out of the channels 52. Thus, the pattern of circuits which has been established will be maintained, and this will occur regardless the presence or absence of the punched card between the blocks 47 and 60.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1. A fluid switch device comprising a vessel containing mercury; means providing a plurality of unsealed channels extending from and connecting with said vessel; electrical contact means in said channels, arranged to be contacted by the mercury when the latter is caused to travel into and occupy portions of the channels; means including a pattern member, operable to selectively seal or unseal, according to a predetermined plan, portions of the channels remote from the vessel and beyond said contact means; means for causing the mercury to travel at will into and occupy any unsealed channel or channels and engage the said contact means, thereby to establish a circuit therewith, said means for causing the mercury to travel including a movable mounting for the channel-containing means, enabling the said means to be moved downward into the mercury contained in said vessel so as to displace said mercury upward into the said channels.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, in which the vessel containing mercury has a plurality of compartments each having a quantity of such mercury, the mercury in any one compartment being separate from the mercury in the other compartments and electrically independent thereof, and in which the channel-containing means is adapted to descend in the said compartments, thereby causing the circuits established by the independent pools of mercury to be independent of each other.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2, in which the channel-containing means has a plurality of depending portions, each portion containing a plurality of channels and each portion being adapted to extend downward into a difierent compartment of the said vessel.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3, in which each depending portion of the channel-containing means has a pair of channels.

5. The invention as defined in claim 3, in which each depending portion of the channel-containing means has ten channels.

6. The invention as defined in claim 1, in which the said vessel comprises a shallow tray formed of rubberlike material, and in which the channel-containing means is adapted to engage and seal against the bottom of the said tray, thereby to seal off the bottoms of the channels and prevent movement of mercury into or out of the channels when the channel-containing means is in lowered position in the vessel.

7. The invention as defined in claim 2, in which the compartments of the vessel containing the mercury have sealing pads on the bottoms thereof, engageable by the channel-containing means to seal off the channels thereof and prevent movement of mercury in or out of the channels when said means is in lowered position in the said vessel.

8. The invention as defined in claim 2 in which the said vessel comprises a shallow rubber tray having a plurality of partitions forming the said compartments.

9. The invention as defined in claim 1, in which the chanel-containing means comprising a block having a tapered upper portion provided with a top face of reduced area, said top face being adapted to engage the said pattern member to eifect a selective sealing of the channels of said means.

10. The invention as defined in claim 1, in which the vessel comprises a relatively deep tray having a plurality of recesses in it and having a solid and integral bottom wall portion, and in which there are resilient strips interposed between the top edges of said deep tray and the said means having the channels, thereby to yieldably support said means on the said vessel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,394,565 Long Oct. 25, 1921 1,806,236 Charles May 19, 1931 2,828,376 Evangelista Mar. 25, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 351,102 Italy Aug. 3, 1937 

